I've decided to collect the Mirkwood Elves. I see a lot of lists with Rangers and Palace Guard. I was wondering if the Mirkwood cavalry is worth getting. Better yet should I just get Rivendale Knights? Thanks in advance.

Not a specialist on a elvish cavalry myself, but as I have understood they are both expensive. Meaning the Thranduils Mirkwood cavalry is expensive in money to buy and the Rivendel knights are expensive in points. But the Rivendel knights are great: they can have 100% elvish bows (right?), they have lances, they can have a banner, they have a high fight skill.

Thranduils Mirkwood cavalry, and not the mounted the mounted Thranduil neither can have bows. They are a pure assault cavalry. More like Gondor, not a light shooting cavalry, as you can choose to play the Rohirrim.

Haven't checked any of this from the books and don't have gaming experience of these armies, but just something I remember (?) from forum discussions and Green Dragon podcast.

Hi Mazin, hopefully an inactive board hasn't deterred you too much. I imagine this site will get busier again once GW starts re-releasing out of production models.

I don't know much about gaming tactics, but I think one of the biggest complaints with Rivendell cav is that they are in their own army list, which means they can only be taken with the Hobbit version of Elrond or Lindir leading them, not Glorfindel or the Twins. Of course for most games people won't mind which elf lord is leading your cavalry, but I think it makes a big difference in tournament play and most list building advice is tailored to that kind of competitive environment.

Antonio_13 wrote:Hi Mazin, hopefully an inactive board hasn't deterred you too much. I imagine this site will get busier again once GW starts re-releasing out of production models.

I don't know much about gaming tactics, but I think one of the biggest complaints with Rivendell cav is that they are in their own army list, which means they can only be taken with the Hobbit version of Elrond or Lindir leading them, not Glorfindel or the Twins. Of course for most games people won't mind which elf lord is leading your cavalry, but I think it makes a big difference in tournament play and most list building advice is tailored to that kind of competitive environment.

I think Rivendell Knight captains are probably the most popular hero for a Warband of Rivendell Knights, at least that is my experience. I agree they need to unify the Rivendell & Eregion list with Elrond's household (I would also like them to combine the army of Thror with Durin's folk, if only so I can get some dwarf archers in my AoT).

I'm personally not a fan of mirkwood cavalry, unfortunately they were released at a point when it seems that GW no long really cared about producing rules that were either playable or characterful and mirkwood cavalry really do nothing well. Without lances, shields or bows they are really just overpriced elf warriors with a bit of a movement boost. Both Rivendell Knights and Galadhrim cavalry are better in every respect.

On the flip side Rivendell Knights get all of those things, along with heavy armour so if it's a choice between the two I would definitely go for them.

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Rivendell Knights are very expensive, but justify their cost with their high fight value and versatility. You do have to be careful when using them against armies with high amounts of ranged weaponry, but their ability to move at a decent speed and still fire makes them quite capable.

I’m sure you’ve already built your army, but I’ll throw my two cents in. You have to look at things in terms of opportunity cost. In other words what is the next best thing? If you’re building a Mirkwood army, then Mirkwood cavalry seems natural. So what else would you do if you don’t include them, or what are you giving up by including them? There are really only a couple of alternatives.

You could include more Mirkwood infantry. These have the same profile as the cavalry but are slower and can’t knock down opponents. True they are technically only 8 points, but unless they are cannon fodder, you’re going to spend a couple points on equipment. So realistically, they are 10 point models. The cavalry are 16 points, so cavalry are paying 6 points for extra move and knockdown.

You could include some other allied cavalry. This could be Elrond’s cavalry, or Lorien’s, or Eregion’s. They all have the same basic profile as the Mirkwood cavalry. Same fight, woodland creature, etc. What they have that Mirkwood doesn’t have is bows. So if you want cavalry archers then this is the only option. The downside is that they require you to bring in the allied heros. By the time you’ve paid for Elrond to lead his boys (because why wouldn’t you want him to lead his boys), you might as well be doing a Rivendell army. So I don’t really like this option.

Overall, I’d probably choose the Mirkwood cavalry for a Mirkwood army. If I’m going to choose another form of cavalry, I’d build a different army. Mirkwood cavalry would be awesome in a forest scenario. They can hit and run very effectively in woodland terrain. Just remember your archers will have to be in the infantry.